MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. The self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic is set to use only peaceful means to settle the conflict with Kiev and will use all possible diplomatic and political possibilities for that, LPR leader Igor Plotnitsky said on Sunday.
"The republic does not want to shed people’s blood to solve problems. As long as there is a possibility solve them peacefully, we will use it," LuganskInformCentre quoted him as saying.
Plotnitsky said it was up to the people living in the Lugansk Republic to decide whether the republic should rejoin Ukraine. "If such question arises, we will organize a referendum and will learn people’s opinion," he said.
He stressed that the LPR was fulfilling all its commitments under the Minsk agreements. "We are ready to implement all the agreements we have signed and we have always been implementing them. Regrettably, Ukraine is not itching to do that too," he said.
He reminded that along with head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic (DPR) Alexander Zakharchenko they had appealed to the Normandy Four leaders over Ukraine’s non-fulfilment of the Minsk agreements.
"It will be clear whether the Minsk agreements would be extended or not after we learn the opinion of the Normandy Four guarantors. We have filed an appeal and are waiting for an answer," Plotnitsky said.
A constitutional reform is an important part of the February 12 comprehensive action plan to fulfil the Minsk accords worked out by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France in the search for peace in the embattled eastern Donbass region.
A key element of reform is decentralization of government with respect to the peculiarities of certain parts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions agreed with their representatives, as well as adopting permanent legislation on the special status of certain Donbass areas.
Apart from that, the 13-point Package of Measures on implementation of the September 2014 Minsk agreements in particular included an agreement on cessation of fire from February 15, withdrawal of heavy armaments, as well as measures on long-term political settlement of the situation in Ukraine, including establishment of working subgroups as priority tasks.